A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the dilegent makes rich (Proverbs 10:4).
Defining laziness is not as easy as it might seem, because there a quite a number of factors that are involved in it. For instance, some do not have the intellect and understanding to know how to do effective work. As a result, they cannot access the productive working world. Are they lazy? Some have physical disorders that leave them feeling low on energy so that any physical exertion leaves them feeling fatigued and exhausted. Are they lazy? Some have psychological disorders so that they are not able to focus on their work. Are they lazy? In each of these instances the technical answer is "yes" and they will suffer the practical consequence of laziness which is poverty. However, in each of these cases, each one of these people could have a will to work, so, no they are not lazy.
Can it be that the busiest man in town is lazy? I have seen people busily doing good things while neglecting the most important things. Are they lazy? Can it be that the person who thinks he is above certain kinds of work is lazy? He thinks that a person with a college degree or a graduate degree is above doing menial work; is that laziness? In both of these instances, though there has been accomplishment, they have not the will to do what is needed, so, yes, they are lazy and could suffer the logical consequence of laziness.
A dictionary definition of lazy is, With little will to work; lack of exertion (Webster). I believe the "will to work" plays a much bigger role in laziness than the "lack of exertion." Laziness begins with the will, with the decision as to whether or not one will work because it is true that some work harder at not working than if they would have done the job in the first place. It is also interesting to me that a lazy person often thinks of himself as being very busy.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
THE CHRISTIAN AND THE CONSTITUTION
Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right (I Peter 2:13-14).
In the United States we take pride in being a nation ruled by law, not by whim, even if that whim is expressed by the popular vote of the people. True law is not established by the legislature, by the president, the judiciary or even the will of the people if it is not God's will or if it is not Constitutional, the Constitution being the supreme law of the land. Our founding fathers generally had a Christian perspective of the law of God and the nature of man. Thus the Constitution was constructed in a way the recognizes the value and dignity of each person by guaranteeing their God-given rights (the bill of rights), and also recognizes human depravity through the separation of powers. God has richly blessed the American people through this kind of constitutional government!
The Constitution is just a scrap of paper without the intelligent support of each citizen of the United States. I believe that it certainly is a Christian's responsibility to support the Constitution. But, the Constitution is like the Bible, there are a lot of people who express reverence for it but they do not know what is in it. We cannot rely on our public officials to properly apply the Constitution to civil law because, though they take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, they regularly undermine it in each branch of government. The day-to-day responsibility of defending and protecting the Constitution lays on the backs of every-day citizens. Each citizen must know what is in the Constitution so that they can hold their elected officials accountable by writing them, in town-hall meetings and, ultimately, in the voting booth. If we continue in ignorance, we will lose America.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
In the United States we take pride in being a nation ruled by law, not by whim, even if that whim is expressed by the popular vote of the people. True law is not established by the legislature, by the president, the judiciary or even the will of the people if it is not God's will or if it is not Constitutional, the Constitution being the supreme law of the land. Our founding fathers generally had a Christian perspective of the law of God and the nature of man. Thus the Constitution was constructed in a way the recognizes the value and dignity of each person by guaranteeing their God-given rights (the bill of rights), and also recognizes human depravity through the separation of powers. God has richly blessed the American people through this kind of constitutional government!
The Constitution is just a scrap of paper without the intelligent support of each citizen of the United States. I believe that it certainly is a Christian's responsibility to support the Constitution. But, the Constitution is like the Bible, there are a lot of people who express reverence for it but they do not know what is in it. We cannot rely on our public officials to properly apply the Constitution to civil law because, though they take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, they regularly undermine it in each branch of government. The day-to-day responsibility of defending and protecting the Constitution lays on the backs of every-day citizens. Each citizen must know what is in the Constitution so that they can hold their elected officials accountable by writing them, in town-hall meetings and, ultimately, in the voting booth. If we continue in ignorance, we will lose America.
Grace&Peace,
Tom
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
FILLING THE EXISTENTIAL VACUUM
Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3).
One of the most worn books in my personal library is Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning. In it Frankl uses the term existential vacuum (EV) to describe the feelings of emptiness and meaninglessness that characterize the people of our time; Fankl called EV a mass neurosis. The general symptoms of EV are depression, aggression and addiction, or more specifically, boredom, inertia, work addiction, drug, alcohol and sex dependency and abusive behaviors.
In the pysical world, vacuums do not continue to be vacuums for long. Vaccums suck--they suck things into them to fill the vacuum. Thus, a vacuum cleaner sucks dirt and debris into it until it is full. So it is when a person does not have a meaning for his life, he sucks in all kinds of things to fill the vacuum in an attempt to find meaning. The pursuit of status, the pursuit of power, the pursuit of pleasure and the collection of "toys" are all vain attempts to fill the existential vacuum in each of us.
If you have ever eaten your fill of junk food, though it tastes good it still leaves you feeling strangely empty because you have eaten food that does not satisfy--lots of sugar and fat but no nutrition. That is how the existential vacuum is, filling the life with all kinds of things that do not satisfy until the point is reached that it is full and yet it is strangely empty.
Augustine expressed a true-to-the-Bible truth when he said, 'God has made us for himself; our souls cannot rest until they rest in him.' What Frankl said in secular terms, Augustine said in theological terms hundreds of years earlier. It is in God, through Jesus Christ, that meaning is found! No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us (Romans 8:37). God has created us in his image and redeemed us so that we can be more than just products of our heredity and environment. We can stand up against circumstances that seem overwhelming and be victors because of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ!
The question to be answered is, will the remaining years of your life have meaning or will it be filled with the strange emptiness of having everything, but having nothing?
Grace&Peace,
Tom
One of the most worn books in my personal library is Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning. In it Frankl uses the term existential vacuum (EV) to describe the feelings of emptiness and meaninglessness that characterize the people of our time; Fankl called EV a mass neurosis. The general symptoms of EV are depression, aggression and addiction, or more specifically, boredom, inertia, work addiction, drug, alcohol and sex dependency and abusive behaviors.
In the pysical world, vacuums do not continue to be vacuums for long. Vaccums suck--they suck things into them to fill the vacuum. Thus, a vacuum cleaner sucks dirt and debris into it until it is full. So it is when a person does not have a meaning for his life, he sucks in all kinds of things to fill the vacuum in an attempt to find meaning. The pursuit of status, the pursuit of power, the pursuit of pleasure and the collection of "toys" are all vain attempts to fill the existential vacuum in each of us.
If you have ever eaten your fill of junk food, though it tastes good it still leaves you feeling strangely empty because you have eaten food that does not satisfy--lots of sugar and fat but no nutrition. That is how the existential vacuum is, filling the life with all kinds of things that do not satisfy until the point is reached that it is full and yet it is strangely empty.
Augustine expressed a true-to-the-Bible truth when he said, 'God has made us for himself; our souls cannot rest until they rest in him.' What Frankl said in secular terms, Augustine said in theological terms hundreds of years earlier. It is in God, through Jesus Christ, that meaning is found! No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us (Romans 8:37). God has created us in his image and redeemed us so that we can be more than just products of our heredity and environment. We can stand up against circumstances that seem overwhelming and be victors because of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ!
The question to be answered is, will the remaining years of your life have meaning or will it be filled with the strange emptiness of having everything, but having nothing?
Grace&Peace,
Tom
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